4:51pm UK, Wednesday June 11, 2008

A Kansas man who had a 2.5 inch nail shot into his skull has told American TV he did not even notice it.

Mr Chandler 'only felt a sting'

Home renovator George Chandler said he only felt a sting.

He and his friend Phil Kern were using a nail gun to put up lattice work at his home.

The hose of the tool got caught and when Mr Kern tried to free it up, Mr Chandler stood up at the same moment the gun discharged.

After searching in vain for the rogue nail, Mr Kern spotted it sticking out of his friend's head.

Mr Chandler was taken to an emergency department where a doctor tried using pliers to free the nail, before deciding he need something bigger.

"He looked at me and said, 'I need a claw hammer'," Mr Chandler told American channel NBC.

"I thought, 'Ah, he's just teasing'.

"He got a screwdriver at the same time, and he took the screwdriver and pried the nail up a little bit and got the claw hammer."

The nail was eventually removed and Mr Chandler was sent home with several stitches.